Hello, World!
I still remember a year ago, at 12:30 pm on November 16, 2023, at my home in Melbourne, Australia, I sat in front of my computer waiting for this big moment. On the same day, I debuted on the Internet by publishing a short film 12-30 (2023) on YouTube (AEDT 12:30 pm), Bilibili (CST 12:30 pm), and Aparat (IRST 12:30 pm). On this day, I completed my global debut as a film producer, director, screenwriter, actor, as well as lyricist (as Kerry Lee) and music producer (Kerry Lee). From this day on, I am officially a filmmaker. I aim to leave my footprints in the film industry with my persistent dedication.
In the past year, I have published short clips of 12-30 on TikTok, Facebook, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels. I gained some online exposure. I was excited even with just a few clicks, replies, and likes. I believe we need to do things step by step, just like we accumulate little by little until we succeed. If I could have 12-30 being viewed by global audiences and have these audiences engaging with this short film, it proved that I have done something right, at least.
I started to produce my first feature film, Roommates (《房客》) a few months ago. My initial intention was only to produce my second short film. However, I met with the director at the end of June after I finished the outline. Although the director believed in this story's viability, he noticed that it looked like a slow-burn story, and it works better for a feature film. On the contrary, to fill all these plots within a short film of 30 minutes is an awful idea. I agreed so much with him. But I wasn't ready to produce my first feature film, because my only experience was the production of a short film. Wouldn't this be too early for me to make a feature film?
After careful consideration, my desperation to step up and advance my career defeated my fear of being inexperienced. If I can look at a 100-minute feature film as four 25-minute short films, isn't this much easier? Many other things in this world can work the same: if it is too difficult, try to break it down into a few smaller and easier portions. Then you will realize it is not that difficult.
Roommates will be a 100-minute, low-budget thriller & drama feature film. The core concept of the story is that if we can learn to respect and accept each other's differences, we can make this world a better place. I hope Roommates will be theatrically released in China, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, and South Africa around July 2025. I know this won't be easy. I have always been encouraged by a quote from Lei Jun, founder of Xiaomi. He said, always believe that something wonderful is about to happen.
0:47 am, November 20, 2024 at home in Melbourne, Australia
你好，世界！
我是张炜林。我还记得一年之前，2023年11月16日中午12点30分，在澳大利亚墨尔本的家中，我坐在电脑前，等待这个重要的时刻。这一天，我通过短电影12-30在YouTube（澳大利亚东部夏令时间 AEDT 12:30pm），Bilibili（中国标准时间 CST 12:30pm）以及Aparat（伊朗标准时间 IRST 12:30pm）网络出道。这一天，我作为电影制片人、导演、编剧、演员以及作词人（作为李葵 Kerry Lee）、音乐制作人（作为李葵 Kerry Lee），完成了面向全球范围的出道。从这一天起，我正式成为了一个电影人。我的目标是，用我坚持不懈的努力在影视行业中留下自己的足迹。
在过去的一年里，我在TikTok，Facebook，YouTube Shorts，Instagram Reels等平台上发布了12-30的片段视频，得到了一些网络曝光。即使只是为数不多的网络点击、回复、点赞，这也让我非常激动。我相信：事情要一步一步的做，成功要一点一点的累积。我能够让12-30被来自世界各地的观众看见，并且让他们与这部短电影进行互动，这证明，至少我做了一些正确的事。
几个月之前，我开始筹备我的第一部长片，《房客》（Roommates）。我的初衷仅仅是制作我的第二部短电影，然而，在我完成剧情梗概之后，我在六月底和导演见了一面。虽然导演觉得这个故事是可行的，但是他提醒我，这个故事是一个“逐渐爆发”（slow-burn）的故事，更适合用于拍一个长片。相反，在一个30分钟长的短电影中塞进这么多的剧情，是一个非常糟糕的选择。我非常同意他的说法。然而我并没有准备好制作我的第一部长片，因为我仅仅只有一部短片的经历。这个时候就开始制作长片，会不会太早了？
经过了认真的思考，我对于事业上更进一步的渴望，战胜了我对于经验不足的恐惧。如果把这个100分钟的长片，看作是4个时长25分钟的短电影，这样会不会容易得多？其实世界上的许多事情都是如此：如果一件事情很难，那么就把它拆分成几件更容易的小的事情，这时候你会发现，其实也没有那么难了。
《房客》会是一个长达100分钟的，小成本的惊悚剧情片。我创作这个故事的中心思想是：如果我们能够学会尊重与接纳彼此的不同，我们能够让这个世界变得更加美好。我希望《房客》能够在2025年的7月前后进入中国、澳大利亚、新西兰、美国、加拿大、英国、爱尔兰、南非的影院，即使这并不容易。小米的创始人雷军曾经说过一句话，一直以来都鼓励着我。这句话是：永远相信美好的事情即将发生。
2024年11月20日，凌晨0点47分
澳大利亚墨尔本家中
